


Not a Bird, but a Bat

by anakatieskywalker



Series: A Stranger World [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, DCU, Justice League (2017), Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Barbara Gordon in a Wheelchair, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Bruce Has Issues, Diana wants to know the truth, its a work in progress, jk i prob edited this like a year ago but i dont remember, mostly with his children, no editing we die like robins, things don't really happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:47:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24017719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anakatieskywalker/pseuds/anakatieskywalker
Summary: Barbara Gordon makes a return to Bruce's life, and leaves Diana with a number of questions.Set before The Bird that Flew the Nest -- doesn't really have to be read in the series, just note that this is bringing the batfam into the DC Cinematic Universe.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon & Bruce Wayne, Batfamily Members & Justice League (DCU), Diana (Wonder Woman) & Bruce Wayne
Series: A Stranger World [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/882144
Comments: 8
Kudos: 155





	Not a Bird, but a Bat

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this a while back, but i was planning on reworking it to better fit kind of the ongoing narrative already set up in the series. well, i reread it and decided to throw that plan out because this is probably the best this piece is going to get. 
> 
> Technically, this is set before The Bird that Flew the Nest, although it's a different point of view, so we're going to go with it not mattering that this is posted two years later.

Barbara came back first, surprising Bruce at the Lake House on one of the rare days that he wasn’t at the construction site that was the old Wayne Manor.

He had been in his study when she came calling, accompanied by Diana, the pair sitting in silence. It was… interesting to Diana, when he got word of the visitor. Bruce had gone down to meet the younger woman, as Diana lingered by the stairs, surprised by the appearance of the red-haired woman in a wheelchair, watched him not even hesitate before leaning in for an embrace the woman graciously accepted.

Diana felt like she was intruding, seeing such a warm welcome, but it wasn’t long before Bruce turned to her, remembering that she was there.

“Diana, this is Barbara. She’s an old friend of mine.” Bruce’s hands were open towards both of the women, and Diana stepped forward to shake the other, Barbara’s, hand.

“Diana Prince.” She said with a soft smile.

“Barbara Gordon.” The red-haired woman replied.

A sort of awkwardness was palpable in the air, as silence settled over the three, and Diana turned the other’s name over in her mind. It was familiar, like Bruce had mentioned it in passing, so simply that Diana had let sleeping dogs lie.

“Gordon, as in Commissioner Gordon?” She connected the dots.

“The one and only,” Barbara smiled.”He’s my dad, although Bruce has been like a second father to me for a long time.”

They moved into a sitting room, and Diana took her leave, sensing that the two had some personal business to take care of, and she took her tea in the kitchen, watching Alfred as he prepared dinner, before finally leaving to prepare herself.

She walked past the study just in time to hear Barbara say something about a man named Dick, and how he’ll probably come around soon. Diana, catching herself in the act of eavesdropping, quickly moved away to her rooms. If Bruce wanted her to know, he would tell her.

Dinner was a quiet affair at first, just the three of them & Alfred’s delightful cooking. And then, Barbara decided to speak, “You know, I really just came to check in on you, Bruce, but you cannot pass up Alfred’s cooking.”

Bruce, ever-surprising, smiled. “I don’t think any of you ever have.”

“So Barbara, you live in Gotham?” Diana asked.

“Most of the time,” the younger woman smiled wryly. “I do spend quite a bit of my time in Bludhaven these days, but Gotham always was, and always will be home.”

“Bludhaven? Isn’t that the little whaling village not that far from here?” Diana remembered, having seen it once on a map. 

“Yes, a… a very good friend of mine lives there, we grew up together.” Barbara replied, glancing discreetly at Bruce.

The trio lapsed back into silence for a while, and Diana took the time to observe both Barbara and Bruce, as though she was trying to figure out the connection between the two. 

Near the end of the meal, Barbara got down to business. “You know, Bruce. When my dad said that the Bat was working well with others again, I knew I just had to see it for myself.”

“It’s… ah, it’s a work in progress, I’d say. Still working on the team dynamic, getting to know each other.” If Diana didn’t know any better, she’d think Bruce was almost blushing.

“Right, because every good partnership takes time. I remember. I just thought you were the kind of guy to work alone these days, no outside help, no interacting with other heroes. At least, that’s the message you gave all of us.”

With a raised eyebrow at Bruce, Diana caught on. “You were one of Batman’s Robins, Ms. Gordon?” She asked curtly, wondering what on earth Bruce’s life before them really had entailed.

Barbara almost laughed out loud. “Oh God, no. I could never. Dickie wouldn’t be happy if I ever took his mantle. No, I left being a Bird up to just about everyone else. However, Ms. Prince, that does not mean that I wasn’t a Bat. I was Batgirl, Batman’s fellow vigilante, veering on the edge of side-kick along with the first and second Robin. Now-a-days though, they just call me Oracle.”

Diana couldn’t help but feel the need to size the other woman up as she took in the information. Not only had there been a Robin, multiple, based off of what Barbara had said, but there had been a Batgirl. One of the darkest cities Diana had ever seen just got a bit more confusing, as she tried to figure out just how old Barbara must have been, for her to be talking about Batgirl so firmly in the past tense. 

And then there was the matter of Oracle, “The all-seeing woman?” Diana asked, curious about whether or not Barbara Gordon knew her mythology, although Diana was sure that every move the other woman made was carefully calculated, just like the only man sitting at that table. 

Bruce thought everything through, he had contingency plans for his contingency plans, and if he had let this woman work by his side… as the child she surely must have been, then he had to have thought it through.

Barbara Gordon smiled, in a way that was almost wicked as she answered, “Exactly.”

At the end of the night, a car came to retrieve Ms. Gordon, and take her back to wherever she had come from. “Don’t worry Bruce, you’ll see me again soon. And I’ll work on getting the others to come by, now that I know you haven’t completely lost your mind.” She patted Bruce’s hand, before he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“You always were too good for this family, Babs.” Diana pretended not to hear the words that Bruce had spoken, although she noticed that there was a fondness in his eye.

“Please, this bunch wouldn’t have made it without me. Do take care of yourself though, don’t go causing Alfred too much stress, okay? We wouldn’t want him to kill you before the others get their chance to get a word in.”

Alfred, who had appeared just before she spoke, smiled softly. “I shall do my best, Ms. Gordon. I dare say there’s not much more Master Bruce could do that he hasn’t done already.”

Barbara really smiled at that, and she caught Diana’s gaze. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Prince, and dare I say, myself and the others are all very big fans of your work.” There was a twinkle in Barbara’s eyes, that plainly stated the double meaning. 

Diana quickly thanked her, and expressed her wishes to see the other woman again, and then, before she knew it, Barbara Gordon was gone. Whisked down the driveway in a car going to who knows where.

The revelation from Bruce’s past still lingering.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, it would be great to hear from you all. You know, if you're still out there--I'm pretty convinced the simulation is glitching these days.


End file.
